Workmen's advocate., 1887-01-15
THE LAW FOR CAPITALISTS.

puted away by q charitable person telling him that the bangs of penury he lamehted about were false sensation, that his stomach only seemed to be emnty because an "agitator' had told him so, and that all would be better for him and the world when he would give the "agi- tator" a kick out of existence!
 Certainly, there are charitable men and women in this bleak world of ours who do try to convince men in this fash lon and there are papers, patronized by workmen, am sorry to say, who will praise the wisdom and self-sacriicing love" of this class of reformers and ''an- gels of suffering humanity" It is hard thing to say that where the reasoning power cannot be reached by exchange of ideas it will all at once be brought into play through the agency of a hungry stomach. It is true, all the same. This schoolmaster has the largest class under supervision and is successful in turning theoretical truths into practical con- clusions.
 Sometime the phrase of political equal | ity may come to the notice of this pow erful educator, and he then will demon- strate that where economical dependency exists there can be no room for political equality, or equality before the law. The more intelligent men know and have known this fact for years, and give it publicity at every opportunity. l will offer comment on this equality delu- sion, not to hurt the feelings of free and independent citizens" for that would be no benefit to them nor to me, but to show them the consequence of tnelr self | cOnceit.
 Congress and State legislatures have in the past been beleaguered by commit tees of Organized Labor to do something for the benefit of the toilers. The result of this kind of lobbying can be ascer- tained by reading the first annual report of the United States commissioner of labor. A careful perusal of the meas ures enumerated in that report shows the folly of expecting capitalists to make enactments against their interests, and that the money thus spent to persuade them of labors needs and wants might be turned to better account by being used at the polls against those men and politi- cal parties whom they ask of.
 Workmen's organizations need money and must hold property. To this end, and for many other still more import ant purposes, it is necessary that they be legally recognized and sanctioned, which can be done only by incorporation either under the laws of the States or of Con- gress. But, if labor organizations are incorporated, the capitalistic prosecutors could not make juries believe that they are maintained for unlawful purposes anyhow, and it would need better evi- dence than to make bug-bears of those organizations in order to secure convic- tion of men who have been prominent in fighting for the interests of the masses.
 Thus, in kind regard to themselves, our legislators have taken care not to pass laws enabling unions or assemblies to acquire the rights of corporations. However, they need the votes of laborers mighty bad, and so they must do some- thing to please their constituents. This | Congress has done in passing a bill for incorporation of such societies in the Dis | trlct of Columbia and the territories. which means that One-tenth per cent. of all organizations Cor one out of thous- and), may enjoy that privilege. What about the 99.9 per cent? Oh, our legis- lators are wise This little concession. worse than none, will dupe a good many workmen-and that is what it is made | for.
 Now the other side of the question. l have before me he General Statutes of the State of Minnesota of 1878, and Ses sion Laws of 1883, and turn my attention to corporations. Title of chapter 34. of the former says what societies other than those for pecuniary profit may be incorporated. Workmen's organizations are not among them, unless we construe that act to mean that they may be incor- porated as cemetery associations to bury their starved members which joke on the liberality of the legislature cannot be in point, knowing that workmen organ ize for hring purposes. The session laws of 1883, on the other hand, extend the power of incorporation to any chamber of commerce, board of trade, and ma sonic lodges. Masonic lodges instituted under charters from grand lodges are similar in form of organization to local unions related to an international union, or local assemblies existing under chart CTS of the G. A. of the K. of L., while capitalistic organizations such as boards of trade or chambers of commerce represent the aims of workmens oreani- zations in an opposite direction. With workmen that form and those purposes of organization are made the obstacle in the way of their getting corporate pow CTS.
 How in the face of this fact people can have the boldness to speak about politi- cal equality is more than I am able to understand. True, the instances given have reference to only one State and but